What To Do When Facing Depression During Pregnancy?

Although pregnancy is supposed to be the happiest time of your life, still there are a lot of women who are struggling with signs of depression during pregnancy. They could experience a feeling of confusion, sadness, fear, and stress. About 14%-23% of pregnant women have some of these symptoms.

Information on depression while being pregnant

Depression is known to be a mood disorder that affects about 25% of all women at some point of their life and so it isn’t surprising to experience it during pregnancy. The sad truth is that in many cases depression isn’t assessed properly during pregnancy because people say that it is just another hormonal imbalance.

If this is the case regarding depression while being pregnant, the situation could get dangerous for both the mother and the baby. It is actually an illness that can be managed and treated, but the first step is to find some support and help to be able to go on with the treatment.

What depression during pregnancy means?

We can be talking about depression in case a woman experiences persistent sadness, lack of concentration, sleeping disorders, anxiety, lack of interest in activities that brought joy before, thoughts of hopelessness, suicide or death, change of eating habits or feelings of worthlessness or guilt for more than 2 weeks.

Possible triggers

There are some factors that could start depression while being pregnant and these include relationship problems, treatments of infertility, personal or family history of depression, previous miscarriage, complications of the pregnancy, stressful events, or a history of trauma or abuse.

Could depression during pregnancy harm the little one?

The truth is that if the depression isn’t treated it could turn out to be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. As a result the mother could have a poor nutrition, could start smoking or drinking and she could also have thoughts of suicide. All these could lead to premature labor.

As a result of depression while being pregnant the baby could have a low birth weight or could have different kinds of development problems. Women affected by the condition don’t have the desire or strength to take care of themselves or of the baby.

In case a mother is struggling with depression during pregnancy it is possible that her baby will also be less active, be more agitated or more irritable and could also have a lack of attention unlike the babies of mothers who didn’t have problems of this kind. This is why it is so important to get help.

Treatment

In case you think you are affected by depression while being pregnant the first thing you have to do is to seek help. Let your doctor know the problems you are struggling with. The doctor wants the best for the baby and you, and he/she will talk to you about the treatment options that you have.

When it comes to depression during pregnancy the options of treatment include support groups, medication, private psychotherapy and also light therapy. The most suitable option depends on your state and also on your personal preferences. Naturally your doctor also has a word to say.

Medications

There is some debate regarding the medications for depression while being pregnant. It is not yet known whether these medications have any long-term effect on the baby or not. Some of the medications could cause physical malformations to the baby or pulmonary hypertension.

Being affected by depression during pregnancy is a serious problem and women have to be really careful about it for their own health and for the health of the little one.

What To Do When Facing Depression During Pregnancy? was last modified: April 27th, 2012 by admin4